(in Cyclops' dream)
Scott Summers has a recurring dream. He knows it is a dream, but it feels real. He is being dragged into an angry town. He doesn't know what he did to deserve the hangman, and decides maybe being deserving has nothing to do with it. The town is called Timely. As he is pulled along by the hangman, Scott looks over to a fortune-telling machine, and wonders if this is just fate. Dragged into the courtroom, filled with townsfolk, Scott gets to say his piece – but it doesn't matter. The fix is in. the judge is someone he recognizes, someone he thought he knew. Charles Xavier stands at the bench, raising the gavel. Alongside him are Dr. Stasis, Dr. Moira MacTaggert, Omega Sentinel and M.O.D.O.K. 'Guilty on all these counts. My, oh my. Look at them all' Dr. Stasis calls out as he looks down the long list of charges. Scott has been thrown to the wolves – and “justice” will be swift.
Scott has been taken to the galley, tied to the rope which is strung up to the beam above him. The townsfolk have gathered in front of the platform to watch. Scott thinks that he should be scared – but he isn't. He is an innocent man. A woman in a white bonnet smiles. She has red hair and a phoenix symbol on her brooch. The world then drops out from under Scott's feet – but despite the trapdoor underneath him lowered, Scott does not fall.
(Reality)
Scott Summers wakes up. But he isn't doing much more than in his dreams. He is wearing one of his old Cyclops costumes, blue spandex, yellow trunks and boots. The doors to the van that he is being transported in open. He knows that he was thousands of miles from the Hellfire Gala when he felt Jean die – but he has felt Jean die before, and death doesn't suit her.
Cyclops stares out at the scene before him. Two barriers have been set up, creating a path towards the Palais du Justice where his trial will take place. Behind one of the barriers, people who have come out in support of the X-Men. On the others, anti-mutant protestors. Two large Stark Sentinels guard the doors to the Palais. Orchis has Cyclops right where they want him – on trial – and all of mutantdom are his co-defendants. He is playing along, buying the resistance time to strike back. What makes the Orchis threat so insidious is the way they make everyone cheer at mutantkind's suffering. 'Humans like their symbolism. This is Paris – where they tried Magneto. This time, the trial will go their way, but the war will not'.
(Then)
The Krakoan Age was remarkable for the advancement in mutant technology. By combining their powers into circuits, the mutants formed a nation that was carbon negative and spanned several worlds. There is a consensus among historians that the primordial circuit in mutant technology was the “fastball special” - the name of the physical attack where Colossus pitched Wolverine with uncanny accuracy at a target.
(Now)
In the dark days following the third Hellfire Gala of the Krakoan era, Piotr Rasputin a.k.a. Colossus and Logan a.k.a. Wolverine were infiltrating the sewers under the Paris courthouse, and their dark moods led them to invert the fastball special, though they were having a difficult time coming up with a name for it. In this instance, Colossus picks up a Orchis agent who opens fire at him, then hurls the agent down the tunnel. 'How about – the pinata special?' Colossus suggests. 'Awful!' Wolverine snarls as his claws slash through the Orchis agent, tearing the agent to pieces. The remains of the Orchis agent collapse into the watery substance on the tunnel floor, and Wolverine tells Colossus that was a terrible name. 'I thought you Russians were poets' Wolverine adds. Colossus explains that he is not feeling very poetic. 'I reckon not' Wolverine agrees, before Colossus suggests that they go liberate Cyclops. 'What if we called that move the “screwball special”?' Wolverine proposes. 'Why?' Colossus asks. 'Cus they were screwed' Wolverine explains. 'Da' Colossus agrees.
His wrists chained to a table in a small room, Cyclops is visited by an armed Orchis agent, who informs him that someone has come to see him. 'Is it a tall, smart, funny redhead with sharp objects floating around her?' Cyclops asks. 'No' the Orchis agent tells him, before Dr. Alia Gregor and Karima Shapandar the Omega Sentinel enter the room. Cyclops tells Dr. Gregor that this may surprise her, but that she has been on his mind. 'Oh? Do tell. Have you been replaying making me a widow over and over?' Dr. Gregor asks. 'No' Cyclops replies, matter-of-factly telling Dr. Gregor that he has no memory of leading the assault on the Mother Mold. 'Some of us paid more than others' Dr. Gregor mutters as she sips her coffee. 'I know. Grief is a heavy set of chains' Cyclops responds. 'Don't you dare!' Dr. Gregor snaps. 'Let me tell you – because of our sacrifice, the last human has died because of mutant aggression. I'm not having a hard time. Don't pretend to know me!'
'Sorry, I thought I caught a whiff of bourbon on your morning coffee' Cyclops replies, calmly, before asking Dr. Gregor why she is here – if not to discuss the why. 'And why is Omega Sentinel accompanying you?' he asks. 'I'm wondering the same thing, honestly' Omega Sentinel admits. Dr. Gregor scowls and informs Cyclops that they are here because she wanted to see him, and to tell him that she lost the battle, and a husband, but that she has won the war. 'I think you came here for something else' Cyclops states. 'And what would that be?' Dr. Gregor asks. 'A human interaction. With a man experiencing his own profound grief' Cyclops reveals.
Dr. Gregor remains silent, before Cyclops asks what will happen after – when the last mutant is dead under her heels. 'I'm not sure. I suppose... mankind exhales and lives happily ever after' Dr. Gregor smirks. Cyclops smiles, which cause Dr. Gregor to screw up her paper disposable coffee cup and ask Cyclops if that is a funny idea to him – human happiness. 'My question wasn't for you' Cyclops announces, causing the Omega Sentinel to stand up and suggest to Dr. Gregor that they leave, adding that Cyclops is needed back in court.
Meantime, at the Green Lagoon, Krakoa:
Charles Xavier looks out across the abandoned island, water falling from the cliffs nearby. 'No more... No more...' he utters, before screaming 'NO MORE!' and telepathically announcing that it is time: 'To me, my X-Man!' and contacting Rasputin IV, informing her that he needs her. But at that moment, the chimera mutant is hovering above the Palais du Justice, and informs X that she has a critical role in the rescue mission. Xavier tells Rasputin IV that he knows she has been splitting her time between their work and the X-Men, and promises her that they can save them all – but only if she joins him right now. 'You must trust me. We can fix everything' Xavier declares. 'Very well' Rasputin IV responds, before she flies away from the courthouse.
'Awright, Rasputin. Pete and I are in position. We're ready for you to phase Cyclops down to us' Wolverine tells Rasputin via a psi-link, but gets no response. 'Rasputin?' Wolverine calls out as he and Colossus stand on edge in the tunnels below the courthouse. Wolverine tells Colossus that something is wrong. He sniffs the air and realizes that they have company. 'Soldiers, cordite, and something else, big and heavy, rumbling toward us -' Wolverine begins, before an explosion ripples down the tunnel and blasts Wolverine and Colossus backwards. When the dust settles, Wolverine and Colossus look up and see as large tank down the tunnel with several Orchis agents. 'Aw crud' Wolverine snarls, before Colossus asks if that is an electromagnet. The tank emits a pulse which slams Wolverine and Colossus up against the tunnel wall. 'Yeah, and it's a hell of a strong one' Wolverine points out.
'For humanity!' an Orchis agent shouts as he unleashes a flame-thrower, which sends fire blazing across Wolverine, who cries out in agony. Orchis agents look on and laugh, when suddenly, Kurt Wagner a.k.a. Nightcrawler teleports behind them, and notes that it would appear they have lost Rasputin IV, and must adapt their plan. He kicks one of the Orchis agents over, then slices his sword across the front of the electromagnet tank, destroying the weapon that is keeping Wolverine and Colossus stuck to the wall. 'And perhaps even launch the invasion of Earth, while Cyclops is still a prisoner' Nightcrawler notes. 'Unacceptable!' Colossus calls out, while Wolverine, part of his body burnt, holds his claws outstretched and boasts that he will kill them all. 'Let these Orchis cowards run!' Colossus shouts as he knocks of the tank. 'And tell all the murderers in red that anybody aligned with fascism will die squirming under my foot!' he adds. 'Mein freund... I fear that you -' Nightcrawler begins, to which Wolverine tells him that there can be no more fear – from this moment on, Orchis are the ones who will fear. 'Then... to war!' Nightcrawler announces as he stands beside his friends and teleports away.
Inside the courtroom, the prosecutor is wrapping up his case, stating that not only has he proven beyond a reasonable doubt that mutants are a menace, but that they are an invasive foreign species. He notes that the secret rulers of Krakoa, the so-called “Quiet Council” admitted as much when they stole Mars away and turned it into a home for mutantdom's wayward cousins, and adds that Cyclops admits he is the leader of the X-Men. 'All these crimes stem from his poisoned fruit' the prosecutor declares, before informing the judge that the prosecution rests. The judge announces that the defense may beg, and Cyclops stands up, stating that he will offer no defense. 'I'm not dignifying any of that nonsense with a response. I know there is good in humanity... but I am not being prosecuted by it'.
The judge reminds Cyclops that he warned him that if he follows through with this non-tactic, that he will surely be found guilty in this capital case. 'I can only be judged by one soul... and I do not think you'd like to meet her' Cyclops responds.
Meanwhile, aboard the Bloom, the Orchis Space Station:
'Huzzah! We got what we wanted! Krakoa is guilty – and mutants are guilty!' Dr. Stasis exclaims as he raises a bottle of champagne. Dr. Gregor and Feilong hold their champagne flutes up, as does M.OD.O.K. Wo hovers above them. Omega Sentinel and Nimrod stand off to the side. Dr. Stasis pours a glass of wine for Feilong and tells him that after the court case, the history books won't be a problem anymore. 'Ben Urich can write whatever drivel he wants'. Dr. Gregor glances over at Nimrod as Omega Sentinel asks 'Why wait to celebrate?' and instructs Nimrod to go kill Krakoa. 'My pleasure, Omega Sentinel' Nimrod responds. 'Then we celebrate on Sentinel City' Omega Sentinel declares as Nimrod vanishes – and Dr. Gregor looks on, concerned.
Shortly, at the Quiet Council Chambers on Krakoa, Nimrod lands, to the surprise of the manifestation of Krakoa, the face that looks down on the chambers in the form of a tree. 'Hey there, you big, dumb island. I wish I could say this won't hurt Krakoa... but I don't want to lie' Nimrod calls out as his right hand re-forms into that of a large blade, like a scalpel. But as Nimrod runs towards Krakoa, the mutant island spits something at Nimrod, engulfing the future Sentinel in amber.
'Unit disabled! He got me!' Nimrod exclaims. Krakoa rises up in tree form and says something to Nimrod, before slamming a foot down on Nimrod, plunging him into the earth. Nimrod reports that he has been disabled. 'And we got a runner!' he adds as Krakoa's manifestation begins running across the island.
For months, the X-Men have had their backs to the wall. Mutants are dead and scattered. Now, a weakened and diminished Krakoa is running for its life. Krakoa is not just the living home of mutantkind, but the promise of a mutant future, united by peaceful coexistence. But humanity did not want coexistence. Krakoa then leaps off the island, and into the ocean, where it begins to swim.
Across the planet, Dr. Alia Gregor's voice is heard through several Stark Sentinels, informing the people of Earth that while they slept, the world changed. 'We were lulled into a false sense of security because of a few good things that the mutants did, but they did not care for you and I. Krakoa has been proven to be an invasive alien species – and Orchis is pulling it from Earth's garden' Dr. Gregor announces. She reports that the next few hours will be uncomfortable, and while Orchis does not relish the threat of violence, but the tree of liberty is dry, and she thirsts for righteous vengeance. 'Krakoa will be eradicated, and the mutants who don't leave the planet peacefully will be liquidated. This is their final warning'.
'Well, Sugah. Everything might've gone to hell – but at least we knocked Orchis' hoods off' Rogue remarks, noting that they didn't get Cyclops. She pilots a jet, with her husband Remy LeBeau a.k.a. Gambit at her side. Kate Pryde a.k.a. Shadowkat sits behind them, and the rest of the seats are taken up by Wolverine, Nightcrawler and Colossus. Shadowkat asks what happened to Rasputin IV, and Colossus agrees that he would like that question answered. 'What happened to Iron Man's big plan?' Gambit enquires. Shadowkat reports that he is executing it now. She adds that they weren't ready for the invasion yet, but it is all falling apart, so they have to go now. She notes that they are over London now, and there are several gates she can use to rally the troops. She begins to phase through the jet and announces that she will have Emma start the comms. 'Good luck, everybody' she adds, while Wolverine turns to her and tells her that he will see her on the other side. 'Don't die out there... if the survival of our people is in doubt. If we lose today – we lose it all'.
Kate Pryde begins rallying the resistance by using the Krakoan Gate system. 'Game on, Mr. and Mrs. X' she calls out as she phases into the Hellfire Club where Emma Frost and Tony Stark are. And on Planet Arakko, where she finds Woofer, and tells him that it is time, to be ready for Forge's fleet coming from deep space. 'We're ready' the green-skinned mutant responds. At the ruins of the X-Mansion,:'Nice gun, Juggernaut' Kate calls out as she locates the Juggernaut, who tells her that he smashed into one of Cable's armories. 'Go be unstoppable, Big Guy' Kate smiles.
In New York City, several heroes can be seen protecting civilians while others attack one of the Stark Sentinels. Sam Wilson a.k.a. Captain America looks on as Kamala Khan extends her arms around several people to protect them from a nearby explosion. Monet St. Croix can be seen flying towards one of the Stark Sentinels.
Suddenly, Emma Frost's telepathic projection can be heard:' Hello darlings. If you can hear my beautiful voice in your head, then – welcome to the resistance' she begins. She reveals that she is touching so many beautiful mutant and human minds. 'Keep resisting' she urges them, before explaining that they might be fighting earlier than they would prefer, but she has the utmost confidence in their abilities. 'We will succeed. We must. The whole world is at stake, and we must be nothing less than fabulous'. Emma tells everyone that they are fighting off extinction, and that in the hours to come, if their backs are against the wall, then call her, and she will put her thumb on the scale. 'Help will be by your side' she assures them.
Shadowkat then arrives on Island M: 'Polaris! It's time – oh no!' she exclaims, before sighing, when she sees Polaris' costume lying on the floor. 'We needed you... where did you run off to?' Kate wonders.
Knowhere, on the far side of Jupiter, where inside the decapitated head of a Celestial an ancient evil lurks. The Brood – they are the most hated parasites in the universe. Not long ago, they fell under the control of a mutant named Broo, who now looks down over the Brood, when suddenly, a doorway opens. 'Jean! Is that you? I was beginning to worry you wouldn't come back for -' Broo begins, before realizing that the person who has arrived is not Jean Grey. 'Oh, it's you! You're the last person I expected to come out this way' he remarks. The new arrival is Lorna Dane a.k.a. Polaris, wearing a new Magneto-inspired costume complete with long flowing cape and helmet. She informs Broo that Jean is dead. 'But those of us who live... we resist'. She then asks Broo if he is ready to go to war. Adjusting his glasses, Broo confirms that he is, and informs Polaris that Jean saved him, and these Brood. In specatcular display, Polaris opens up the side of Knowhere, and with a powerful magnetic shield around herself and Broo, flies out into open space, where she declares 'Then – to war!'
